Thursday, January 22, 2015

"Rasmussen Reports" Poll
(Excerpt) "The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 28, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports... [the poll] suggests that Americans are growing wary of political dynasties. Forty-one percent of likely voters said that they were at least 'somewhat worried' that an 'unofficial group of royal families' is forming in the United States.

Rasmussen noted that a Clinton or a Bush has run in every presidential election except one since 1988 (emphasis added)."

Not surprisingly, media sources also can be found representing the average American as supportive of political family dynasties.

Founding principle eschewed -- who is hurt? Who profits?
(Excerpt) "Political dynasties are a threat to democracy, corrupting the political marketplace and compromising the free exchange of ideas. The founding fathers warned against them and shunned all trappings of royalty.

One reason America has seen a rise in political family dynasties is that they have appeared in both political parties simultaneously, negating the natural political checks and balances.

Because they have appeared in both parties, political checks and balances are negated. And the media profits from famous names.

No Republican will attack the Democrats for allowing the Clinton family dynasty because that would anger the Bush family in their own party. If public figures in the Democrat Party decry the dangers of the Bush dynasty they risk alienating the Clintons, whose support they must have to be successful. Thus both the Clintons and the Bushes escape criticism because of the other.

The national media, driven by profit, stay quiet in the face of dynastic claims because famous names sell."

(Excerpt) "The Constitution states that 'no title of nobility shall be granted by the United States,' yet it seems political nobility is as American as apple pie..."

Author Stephen Hess has written the book, "America's Political Dynasties" and therein identified a list of American families that by some measure are considered political dynasties; "Kennedy... Roosevelt... Rockefeller... Harrison... Adams... Bush... Frelinghuysen... Breckinridge... Taft... Bayard."

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Post No. 230

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"...draws with pencils -- not quickly." Writing under the obliquely oxymoronic moniker QwkDrw, I fancy this blog an internet-based “column”; articles often beginning with a descriptive photo. The posts, sometimes written in series, are easily further researched by readers with links to sources, photos, video clips, and additional information. This blog is not represented as authoritative and complete -- it is a sort of brief synopsis or abridged digest version of larger matters condensed from one perhaps inexpert perspective into a reasonable amount of reading time. The topics here might be interesting to someone also of my background and may or may not be more widely appealing.
2014 Blog Award: 10 Hot Readers and their Blogs. "#4. QwkDrw - Possibly one of the first commenters on my blog the mysterious QwkDrw has stuck around... I love his sense of humor." Annabel Candy, "Get in the Hot Spot" blog.